I know its been awhile. Time has a funny way of slipping away. But we are back!

Check out the Tours page for some awesome tours from the Arkells, Serena Ryder and more who may be coming to a theater in your town! Live music is often a way to de-stress or have a great night out. Don’t miss out on the fun!

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Recently Toronto Ska Punk rockers The Cardboard Crowns released the video for their latest single ‘Tired’. The video has collected over 1,000 views in just two weeks.

We find the visual companion of the struggle to navigate life knowing that there are certain expectations. Often our passions and the things that drive us take a back seat to those expectations and reality.

The lyrics speak to the struggle of pursuing your passion and waiting for life not to kick you down. The lesson learned is, it is far better to enjoy life pursuing your passions then struggling to survive daily life without a creative outlet.

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Welcome to the revamped album reviews! A series entitled, On Repeat where we review your favourite Canadian Artists! First up is Walk off The Earth with their 2015 release: Sing it All The Way.

In WOTE style this album is a great feel good listen. The album opener ‘Rule the World’ is a great anthem song, (Great crowd reactions at live shows!).

High energy fused with meaningful lyrics are ever present. Their trade mark gang vocals add depth, while the range of often unique instruments create a delightful soundscape.

Their lyrics are widely applicable with messages of Keep fighting through the bad, it will get better from Hold On, together we stand in Home we’ll Go. and having strength to know when to walk away in Boomerang.

One song we found stood was Heart is a Weapon. This song breaking away from their chill groove provides a rock beat with the message: Yes hearts can be broken but be careful how you use your heart. It can also be a powerful weapon.

Stand out lyrics from the album:

‘Cuts like a sword’ from Heart is a Weapon

“No fear in lonely cause we’re all alright tonight’ from Alright

Check out Walk Off The Earth as they are currently on a European Tour and will be returning to play some summer festival dates in Canada soon! Check out dates here!

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CALGARY, AB – Music education charity MusiCounts kicked off JUNO Week on Thursday by announcing the 2015-2016 beneficiaries of the Band Aid Program via a special celebration at Lord Beaverbrook High School (LBHS) in Calgary that included a surprise performance by multi-JUNO nominee Alessia Cara and a visit by the Mayor of Calgary, Naheed Nenshi. This year, the charity associated with The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) has distributed $675,000 in musical instruments among 77 schools nationwide in support of their individual music programs. SiriusXM Canada, who has contributed in excess of $1,000,000 to MusiCounts over the past eight years, also revealed a renewed contribution of $100,000 to the MusiCounts Band Aid Program.

“SiriusXM has been a proud supporter of MusiCounts for eight years and with this contribution of $100,000, we will make sure instruments get in the hands of thousands more students,” said Allan Reid, President & CEO, CARAS/The JUNO Awards & MusiCounts. “And it was very special to have Alessia Cara to inspire the students and help them believe that their dreams can one day be achieved too.”

“SiriusXM Canada is very proud to support such vital initiatives as the Band Aid Grant program and MusiCounts with our annual $100,000 contribution,” said Paul Cunningham, SVP, Sales and Marketing, SiriusXM Canada. “We are committed to supporting Canadian artists, and having the opportunity to see the impact of that firsthand at the Band Aid ceremony is a very special experience.”

Canadian singer-songwriter Cara, a 2016 JUNO Award nominee for the JUNO Fan Choice Award, Single of the Year, Breakthrough Artist of the Year and R&B Recording of the Year, was on hand at Lord Beaverbrook High School to speak about her passion for music and help unveil new musical instruments in front of the excited auditorium. The school is one of four in Calgary receiving a total of $30,000 worth of instruments and equipment as part of the Band Aid Program. She helped to celebrate the occasion with acoustic performances of her hit singles “Here” and “Wild Things.”

“If you have dreams like mine that people tell you are unrealistic, don’t give up on them. Nothing is unachievable and I’m proof of that,” said Cara.

Jeff Leake, Director of Music Programming at SiriusXM Canada, was the event’s host and highlighted the company’s ongoing commitment to MusiCounts. LBHS music instructor Heidi Wood spoke about the school’s music program and introduced a performance by its choir. Approximately 800 students were in attendance for MusiCounts’ Band Aid presentation, along with music industry supporters and fellow partners.

About MusiCounts:

MusiCounts, Canada’s music education charity associated with The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) and the Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) is helping to keep music alive across Canada. MusiCounts’ mission is to ensure that children in Canada, regardless of socio-economic circumstances or cultural background, have access to music programs through their schools and communities. This is achieved through the Band Aid Program, the TD Community Music Program, the MusiCounts Teacher of the Year Award, Scholarships and other music education initiatives. Since MusiCounts’ establishment in 1997, nearly $9,000,000 will have been awarded to help support music education in Canada. These funds will have benefitted over 850 schools and communities from coast to coast, supported over 350 post-secondary music program graduates and honoured 11 extraordinary music teachers through the MusiCounts Teacher of the Year Award. MusiCounts is funded by many of Canada’s most dedicated corporate citizens including and especially Bell Media, TD Bank Group, SiriusXM Canada, the Slaight Family Foundation, Music Canada, Vista Radio, the Hot Topic Foundation and Morningstar Canada. MusiCounts has been supported since inception by Sony Music Entertainment Canada Inc., Universal Music Canada, Warner Music Canada Ltd., JUNO Songwriters’ Circle and JUNO Cup.

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In a few days’ time you will get a fresh batch of tracks from the frenzied energies of four rugged gentlemen adorned with their signature crowns of cardboard who balance thought provoking lyrics with hard hitting melodies. A splash of Ska flavour accentuates their punk sound. A multilingual masterpiece with a little something for everyone, Hold On will keep you reaching for the repeat button and has the potential to 180 any foul mood or fear.

The title track Hold On, opens the album strongly with tempo changes, memorable lyrics (we couldn’t get this one out of our heads for five months!) and strong vocals blending great harmonies. This track really showcases the Crown’s dynamic abilities.

The lead single, Little Voice builds with a strong bass back beat. The Cardboard Crowns have found a nice balance of catchy yet hard hitting music where your brain remembers them long after the song is over.This song speaks to that “little voice” or conscience that is suppose to help us but sometimes does more harm then good.

Silence seems fun and carefree but carries a great message of not wasting the life you are given because there is only one. There are instrumental solos that intermix in this party sounding track. Take away message of this impossibility catchy track is find your own path in life because in the end its up to only YOU!

Upbeat Vacances starts off reminiscent of a beach classic but half way through transitions into a gritty rock song with an important reminder that we shouldn’t live our lives focusing on fear.

Si-Triste comes out swinging with hard hitting drums, fast guitars reminiscent of the Real Mackenzie’s. The boys really showed their diversity by using a guitar’s strings to simulate that classic bagpipe sound.

Bring your dancing shoes for the appropriately entitled track, Dance. Where we are encouraged to not waste time with worries and just dance our cares away. Take away lyrics for this song for us are “it’s such a lonely road to trade heartache for battle lines”. Love the killer instrumental solo leading into a key change.

Silly Hearts is a walk down memory lane for the narrator. With a very danceable beat, gang vocals and highlights an awesome build in momentum to flawless harmonies. This song is crisp, dynamic and pulls on the heart strings.

Take the Blame contains poignant lyrics it stops the listener in their tracks. Using a simple melody and allowing the vocals to take center stage helps drive the important lesson home. This song will keep you thinking long after it’s over. Using vivid imagery the listener is left with very sobering desire to take up the torch and keep fighting the good fight.

Tired sums up many thoughts our generation has on a regular basis. This speaks to the struggle of balancing passion projects and the need and will to do whatever it takes to survive. That it seems you’re not working on your own goals and can feel unmotivated, especially when unexpected events happen. Tired highlights some key guitar and drum riffs. The musicality alone will motivate you!

Starting out with a familiar intro (we’ve heard it live) but the Cardboard Crowns seems to gain inspiration from the classic swing line from Royal Crown Revue’s Hey Pachuco for the intro to Panic. Listen to their music enough and you start to realize lead vocalist Rat Crown has a distinctive sound. During Panic this is evident yet is almost missed because of the tempo of the song. With Panic running short at barely 1:45, it sounds as though he had too much to say and not enough time in which to deliver the message. There is a very important message to be learned from this song, about complacency.

The ending track, Strangle slows things down for a bit. Cantering a Ska beat builds as the songs’ dynamics range throughout the track. It has a very punk rock edge that will resonate with many listeners.

Our stand out track on the album is Silence and Take the Blame.

Hold On was well worth the wait! The Cardboard Crowns continue to prove their live shows and lyrics are a cut above the rest. This is the album that will greet you at home after that bad day at work and always be able to put a smile on your face. The kind of therapy you can always afford and nobody can judge you for it.

Their first single Little Voice can be heard on their sound cloud page here.

Check out the DIY Crowns swag contest on their Facebook page!

Upcoming concert dates including their CD release party at Lee’s Place in Toronto on March 10th, 2016. To check out more dates see the tour poster below.

Canadian Music Week (CMW) is thrilled to announce additional headliners at this year’s festival including Canadian indie-pop duo Tegan and Sara, former Fader cover star Skepta, Toronto’s Dilly Dally who Rolling Stone named artists you need to know, Montreal shoe-gaze outfit No Joy, and David Bowie’s longtime producer Tony Visconti, will lead his band Holy Holy. These artists join an already stellar lineup, featuring Eagles of Death Metal, The Strumbellas, Wintersleep, NAO, Ho9909 and more.

Tegan and Sara return to CMW as part of the iHeartRadio Festival, Friday, May 6th, at The Sheraton Centre Hotel. With over 1 million albums sold, 7 Gold certifications, 1 Double Platinum certification, 3 Juno Awards, 2 Polaris Prize nominations, and a Grammy nomination, Tegan and Sara’s career has deftly balanced critical acclaim with an ever-increasing foothold in the mainstream. The genre-bending duo, are preparing to release their much-anticipated 8th studio album on Warner Bros. Records later this year. Additional acts to perform at the iHeartRadio fest include X Ambassadors, Coleman Hell and Jocelyn Alice.

Canadian Music Week presents The Indies with Indie88 May 4th at Phoenix Concert Theatre, featuring performances by The Strumbellas and Wintersleep. Now in its 16th year, the Indie Awards are one of Canada’s premier and most anticipated shows honouring the best in independent music.

The #IndiesWithIndie88 Superfriends pre-sale will begin Thursday, March 3rd at 10AM, and offer the first 100 tickets for only $8.81. Public Sale begins Friday, March 4 at 10AM. Stay tuned for additional programming updates!

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Before Western Canadian “indie rockers” The Zolas criss-cross Canada they are venturing across the pond with friend and fellow Vancouver artist David Vertesi! Do not miss out on a chance to see these acts live as they never disappoint! Listed below are the upcoming European Tour dates, along with the Canadian dates where the Grounders will be gracing the stage before the Zolas will bring down the house with their unique blend of technological melody and introspective lyrics.

Check back later this week for a sample of the Zolas, David Vertesi and the Grounders!

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First I would love to give a shout out to all our awesome readers! You and the increasing amount of awesome Canadian artists are why we do this! Thank you. Over the summer we stepped back from the blog both to take a break from writing and concentrated our energy on how to grow Canadian Tapped to serve our audience and the Canadian Artists we feature.

We are back now and with that comes all the tour announcements you have heard about, new interviews, show reviews and our thoughts on newly released music from your favourite Canadian Artists!

We will be releasing some holiday content leading up to the holidays for the first while, then work to bring you more quality content from the artists you love! Including but not limited to: interviews, album reviews and tour news. We will also try and find some behind the scenes content you may have missed.

Who do you want us to talk to? Do you have a band that you would like to see get some media coverage? Email us; canadiantapped@gmail.com

If this sounds like too much fun, and you want to try your hand at writing and maybe interviewing some bands! Drop us a line! We love featuring other writers as well!

Grab your toque, we are down for a wild ride!

J. Kaela Simpson

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Canadian Indie favorites, Poor Young Things are back in support of their latest EP, Force of Nature. The first single, ‘Like an Animal’ can be downloaded on iTunes and requested at your local radio station NOW!

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ABOUT M FOR MONTRÉAL
Founded in 2006 by Sébastien Nasra (Avalanche Productions), in collaboration with the legendary British festival programmer Martin Elbourne (Glastonbury Festival, The Great Escape and co-founder along with Peter Gabriel of the WOMAD Festival), M for Montreal is much more than an annual event. “M” is an independent organization whose ambitious mission is to help up-and-coming artists both to become better known locally and to launch their careers outside Canada. For the last nine years, M for Montreal has carved out an enviable reputation at the heart of Montréal’s cultural life, and now occupies an undeniable role as a catalyst for the local industry, both for emerging local artists and those who are developing their careers outside Québec.

M FOR MONTRÉAL AT NORTH BY NORTHEAST returns in 2015! The annual M for 159 Manning showcase will take place on Friday, June 19th – featuring The Muscadettes, Pat Jordache, Dead Obies and 13 other acts on two stages between 1pm and midnight. Throughout the day music fans can enjoy pizza courtesy of Panago Pizza’s #RandomActsOfPizza, along with veggie burgers hot off the barbecue. See the full 159 Manning lineup below.

Panache Booking and M for Montreal are once again teaming up to present the 5th annual Bruise Cruise on June 20th. Captain Matthew Flinders of Mariposa Cruises will weigh the anchor at 1PM and sail to the sound of PONCTUATION, DEAD OBIES, MICHAEL RAULT, CRi (DJ Set) and surprise guest. Arrive early as space is limited!